3 Essential Tips to Help You Plan a High School Weekend Retreat
Are you currently planning your next high school weekend retreat? This is an exciting time for you and your students. However, if you are unsure of where to start, it can be downright confusing. Thankfully, we have gone ahead and developed 3 essential tips that will help make your next high school weekend retreat amazing.
How to Plan a High School Weekend Retreat
When planning a high school retreat, there’s a lot to consider including your staff members and the priorities or mission of your school. Fortunately, there are ways to organize and simplify the entire planning process! We’re happy to share with you our secrets for successful Catholic private school retreats. Check them out!
#1-Find Ways to Stretch the Budget
If you want to stick to the budget, begin by tracking things that are most important for your event and how it can fit into your itinerary. Don’t worry as there are also ways to make the allocated budget go further. When planning Catholic private school retreats, catering or food and drink will take up a large portion of the cost. There are a variety of things you can do to help reduce the costs of catering and bring it to a minimum. Inquire with the facility about the possibility of bringing your own beverages or having students bring their own (BYOB). You have the option of providing your own catering as well, which would allow you to purchase food at a lower cost in advance.
You might request that there be fewer food selections available on the menu for the students, which would lead to a reduction in the total cost of the catering. On the other hand, you could just prepare the food and beverage yourself. You are all set once you have a grill and an apron!
#2-Know the Audience
Do you want your audience to be excited about your events? One strategy to consider is to break your agenda with choice periods, during which attendees have the opportunity to occupy their time with pursuits of their own choosing (it also helps take some pressure off you in filling every single minute). Sending out sign-up sheets in advance of the event is another great way to publicize and draw attention to particular events. You can also determine which activities will be the most popular by having participants sign up for them in advance. You can then base the rest of the retreat’s activities on this information. In the event that you intend to have your attendees compete against one another throughout the course of the weekend in several teams, you need to inform them in advance to bring specific-colored tops. This not only enables you to combine groups depending on the colors of their shirts, but it also helps individuals meet new people.
#3-Have an Opening and Closing Ceremony
Catholic private school retreats where big or small groups get together can be a great opportunity for bonding. It is essential to play a role in facilitating those moments of bonding by having ceremonies that bring everyone together. A good method to establish the tone for the retreat is to start it off with an opening ceremony. Similarly, gathering all the participants once more at the end of the retreat to celebrate the time that was spent together can truly drive home how enjoyable an experience the event has been overall.
Last but not least, you should schedule some time to present people with awards and acknowledgments at the conclusion of the event. Alternatively, you could do this over a campfire each night. There is no better way to wind down from the day than by sitting around a fire, toasting marshmallows, and telling stories to one another.
Bonus Tip: Measure Your Impact!
This is important. You have worked hard in planning a memorable retreat. However, regardless of how perfectly you’ve planned and executed the event, there is always something for you to learn.
Make a participant survey and be sure that everyone completes it. This way, you can review results and make use of what you’ve learned on your upcoming retreats.
Host a Memorable High School Weekend Retreat with Orange Springs Retreat
Planning private school retreats can be a great challenge to organizers, but the result is often a rewarding experience. The right high school retreat venue can help you plan a successful event.
At Orange Springs Retreat, we’ve hosted various meaningful events and connected with myriads of schools and youth groups. We understand what makes the best venue for retreats.Contact us today to know how we can help you ensure your participants get an amazing retreat experience!
